From our Founder:
As we bid adieu to 2015, we turn our hearts and minds to 2016, and with it,
Ludophilia VI, coming again in May! After overcoming a couple of scheduling
snafus, I'm happy to say that I finally have a date and site booked!
WHAT IS LUDOPHILIA?
For
any of you who have missed it until now, Ludophilia is the name we've given to
our annual 4-day boardgaming (and craft beer sharing) extravaganza in the far
northwest suburbs of Chicago! It's much too friendly and informal to be called
a "convention". It's just an excuse for friends and friends-of-friends to get
together in a large-ish hotel conference room with a few hundred board games and
have the chance to strategize, socialize, and relax uninterrupted. I bring a
select library of games (and other people bring their favorites, too, of
course), and then it's open house at the hotel Thursday through Sunday! Set up
your own lodging plans if you want to stay overnight, and everyone is mostly
responsible for their own food and drink. (Although see below.)
SAVE THE DATE
The
weekend for Ludophilia VI will be Thursday, May 12th through Sunday, May
15th, 2016. Please mark your calendars NOW! I'll be sending out a few
reminders and additional information as the time draws nearer.
We typically play
from 8:00am until midnight-ish Thursday through Saturday, but we'll most likely
be packing up right after lunch on Sunday.
NEW LOCATION THIS
TIME
As I said, I ran
into some scheduling issues. To make a long story short, our hotel from the
last two years was actually booked for both of the weekends I tried to get. So
I found a different nearby Country Inn and Suites that can accommodate us with
all the same arrangements as last year. (All day room access, ok to bring to
our own food and drink, a good-sized room, and basically the same cost.)
We'll be at the Country Inn and Suites which is right
at I-90 and Randall Road, 2270 Point Boulevard, Elgin, IL 60123. Phone:
847-426-6400. This might be a bit less convenient for some, but maybe a bit
more convenient for others, particularly those who will be driving in from
Chicago or O'Hare - it's right off the highway.
The conference room we'll be using is
actually in the office building directly behind the hotel, just a few steps out
the door and up an elevator.
Please be sure to NOT confuse this
with the Country Inn and Suites in Crystal Lake where we met last year! This is
a different location!
If you will be
staying at the hotel as I will, you can call 847-426-6400 or 800-830-5222 for
reservations, or look online at
http://www.countryinns.com/elgin-hotel-il-60123/ilelgin. Be sure
to ask for the room block for "Ludophilia" or, if that fails, for the "Johnson
Game Group" (there could be some confusion over this - I asked for it to be
fixed, but you know how that goes.) I was quoted a rate of $110+tax for the
group, which is better than what I see listed online, but if you can find a
better rate at priceline or whatever, I say go for it.
Our room block closes after April 14,
2016, so make your reservations early!
ADMISSION COST
Once
again, I'll be keeping the admission cost for everyone the same as it's been:
$10 per person per day, with a
"buy 3 days get the 4th day free" bonus for those who pay in advance.
This is strictly to cover our costs. If we collect the same amount as we have
the last 2 years, we should be able to cover the cost of the room within our
buffer.
You can start registering now by sending check or cash to me at
:
Brad Johnson
1517 Driftwood Lane
Crystal Lake, IL 60014
So send just $30 now for full
access to the entire 4-day weekend! I can also accept cash and check during the
con, but booking early is the best way to make sure we keep this
running.
NEW THIS YEAR
Since we've built
up a small buffer in the bank, there are a few new fun things I'm thinking I'd
like to do this year. If you have additional suggestions, please let me know,
but here are possibilities I have in mind:
- Pizza night - the club may
buy pizza for the group on Saturday night
- Door prize raffle - get a
raffle ticket for each paid day of admission and draw Saturday night for some
prizes
- Opponent bingo prize -
keep track of how many different unique opponents you play with during the
weekend, highest count wins a prize
- Beer tasting prize -
everyone who wants to participate brings a few bottles (or equivalent) of their
favorite craft beer (store-bought, or better yet, home-brewed!), judges will be
appointed, and top rated beer(s) wins a prize
Prizes (all board games,
of course) would be provided by me -- I figure the treasury might be able to
handle a budget of a hundred bucks or two, and/or there might be a few
selections I could part with from my own trove.
I'm also
expecting to do t-shirts again this year, for a nominal fee, if there's enough
interest, and if I and my resident artist can come up with a suitable artistic
vision.
Details on all of this will follow!
I sincerely hope that you all
can make it to Ludophilia VI, May 12-15, 2016. Whether you can come for one day
or the whole weekend, I think you'll find it to be a good time. It's been
really excellent for the last 5 years with so many fun people coming from all
over the country (and Canada!) for some focused boardgaming! If you have any
questions or you'd just like to let me know your plans, please don't hesitate to
email! Also, if you have a friend whom you'd like me to add to the invitation
and notification email list, please send me their contact information!
